What is a network load balancer?
- Reduces the CPU utilization of the server
- Distributes application traffic across a cluster of servers
- Fragments the IP packets across the network
- Reduces the bandwidth on the WAN link
Explanation
A network load balancer is a device that distributes application traffic across a cluster of servers to improve the performance and availability of the application.
It does this by receiving incoming requests and forwarding them to one of the servers in the cluster, based on a configured load-balancing algorithm. The load balancer can also monitor the health of the servers and redirect traffic away from servers that are experiencing issues or are unavailable.
A network load balancer can be used to improve the performance and availability of applications in a number of ways, including:
- Reducing the CPU utilization of the servers: By distributing the load across multiple servers, a load balancer can help reduce each server’s CPU utilization, which can improve the application’s overall performance.
- Reducing the bandwidth on the WAN link: By distributing the load across multiple servers, a load balancer can help reduce the amount of traffic that needs to be transmitted over the WAN link, which can improve the application’s performance and reduce the amount of bandwidth that is consumed.
- Improving the availability of the application: By monitoring the health of the servers and redirecting traffic away from servers that are experiencing issues or are unavailable, a load balancer can help improve the application’s availability.
The following statement is NOT true about a network load balancer:
- Fragments the IP packets across the network: A network load balancer does not fragment IP packets. IP fragmentation is a process that is used to break large IP packets into smaller packets that can be transmitted over a network. It is typically performed at the network layer (layer 3) of the OSI model, not by a load balancer.
Therefore, the correct answer is: Distributes application traffic across a cluster of servers